Midnight Terror Haunted House in Oak Lawn – one of the PR clients I represent – wrote the book on how a Chicagoland haunted attraction can thoroughly terrify its audience when it opened 11 years ago. Now, in 2025, it’s ripped up those pages and created a whole new scare playbook after reworking its entire theme and introducing new characters and fresh thrills designed to frighten audiences anew.
Haunt owner and Marine veteran Justin Cerniuk of Oak Lawn spent the entire off-season reimagining Midnight Terror, aiming to amplify the fear factor and entertainment value for his customers.
“After a successful run of the same popular theme for several years, it was time for a new look, design, and approach to the way we scare,” he says. “We want our visitors to think of us as not just a haunted house but a major Halloween event: one that creates an unforgettable experience and an exceptional value for the price. So we adopted a completely new narrative that drives our characters. We incorporated classic monsters that everyone loves and associates with Halloween. And we gave our scare actors and makeup artists more creative freedom on how to inhabit those roles and frighten customers in more clever and innovative ways.”
Midnight Terror will continue to offer two impressive haunted attractions for the price of one. Now, you’ll first enter the dark industrial corridors of Shadowtek, a decrepit workshop where Dr. Shroud conducts illegal lab experiments on hapless factory workers, transforming them into malicious mutants programmed to terrorize the public. Next, your journey leads you through Black Oak Grove on All Hallows’ Eve, where an eerie fog blankets the streets, malevolent trick-or-treaters roam, and the OG fiends that populated your childhood nightmares – including vampires, werewolves, witches, and mummies – take shivery shape from out of the shadows. Then, to escape the haunt, you’ll have to brave an insane maze of killer clowns wielding rusty chainsaws.
Even the “Rotten Hollow” queue line will keep you on your toes, with costumed creatures, professional jugglers, stilt walkers, and street dancers providing free entertainment as you prepare to enter Midnight Terror.
The haunt will also be hosting four special events in 2025:
· “Lights On Trick-or-Treating” on Oct. 25 from noon to 2:30 p.m., during which parents can bring their younger kids to tour the haunt while the lights are on and “scary mode” is turned off; enjoy costume contests, candy, magicians, balloon artists, and carnival games (all-ages admission is $15 per person; all children must be accompanied by an adult).
· “Blackout” on Nov. 2 from 7-10 p.m., when all lights inside are turned off and visitors must rely on a glow stick to navigate the dark haunt (admission from $30).
· “Clown Takeover” on Nov. 8 from 7-10 p.m., when the haunt’s theme switches to a “carn-evil” swarming with killer clowns (admission from $30).
· “Christmas Fear” on Dec. 12, 13, and 14 from 7-10 p.m., which promises an unforgettable experience in Yuletide terror (admission from $20).
Additionally,
115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park is now offering a special Midnight Terror Burger for a limited time; bring your burger receipt to the on-site Midnight Terror ticket booth and your general admission tickets (two maximum) will automatically be upgraded to Fast Pass tickets – a $40 value. You can get details on other promotions and discounts by signing up for the haunt’s official email list, Nightmare Fuel, at
MidnightTerror.com.
Ranked as one of the
best haunted houses in Chicagoland by TimeOut, a
top 10 haunted attraction by USA Today, a
top 10 haunt by ScareFactor.com, and one of the
10 scariest haunted houses in America by ScaryOverload.com, Midnight Terror has been featured numerous times on Fox 32 and comes highly recommended by Thrillist, NBC, the Chicago Tribune, Patch.com, Haunted House Chicago, Illinois Haunted Houses, and others. The haunt has also received more than 1,200 five-star reviews from visitors on Google and Facebook.
Midnight Terror Haunted House is located at 5520 W. 111th St., Oak Lawn, Ill., 60453, just east of the intersection of Central Avenue and 111th Street. General admission per person starts at $30 online page down page down and $35 at the onsite ticket booth; Fast Pass admission per person, which places you in a line that’s three times faster than the general admission line, is $55. Or you can purchase immediate access ($75 per person), which guarantees instant entry into the haunt. Use the promo code Fear 20 online to get 20% off general admission or Fast Pass tickets, good on select dates.
Midnight Terror is wheelchair accessible and open, rain or shine, from:
7 p.m. to 11 p.m. most Fridays and Saturdays: Oct. 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, and 31
7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays and select days: Sept. 26-28, Oct. 3, 5, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 29, and 30, and Nov. 1, 2, and 8.
Visitors can park for no charge on-site or take a free shuttle to Midnight Terror; the shuttle departs from 9525 Tulley Ave., Oak Lawn, regularly during hours of operation (check the website for the latest shuttle schedules).
For more information, check out
MidnightTerror.com or email
info@midnightterror.com.
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